The above link is to msnbc.msn.com. The article was covered widely online and in print. At one point, the article states:

When drunk in excess, alcohol damages nearly all organ systems. It is also connected to higher death rates and is involved in a greater percentage of crime than most other drugs, including heroin.

I am not qualified to say whether alcohol is more harmful than cocaine, crack or heroin. But that is like comparing explosives -- they all could kill you!

The difference, however, between alcohol and illegal drugs, is that alcohol, within age and other limits, is legal. An adult who meets the age requirements of the law and who does not drive (say he remains in the safety of his home), can basically drink himself into a drunken stupor. But just because it is legal does not mean that it is not harming you physically -- or that it is not hurting the people around you.

I view alcohol, taken to excess, as a dangerous thing. It is a dangerous thing if you do it once, and it is a dangerous thing if you do it routinely.

A perfectly healthy person who works out and takes care of his body might still consume alcohol to excess -- as if there are no physical consequences to such action. As stated in the article, and the research it reflects, there are consequences and they are serious.

I personally believe that Karate students and experts should never be drunk because of the dangers posed by the destructive potential of misuse of the art.

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"Karate Jutsu" means "China Hand art". Karate came to Okinawa from China.
Only in the 1930s or so, was the term "Karate" changed to mean "Empty Hand".
"China Hand" was used in Hawaii until after World War II, and is still used in some dojo.